Russia Firm on Support for Al-Assad

Russia's ambassador to Syria says the Moscow government has not changed its support for the government of President Bashar Al-Assad, despite violence by Syrian troops on the country's citizens, according to a Friday story by the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan.

The ambassador made it clear that a visit of an opposition delegation was unofficial and that Russia took a negative view of the refusal by opposition members to engage in dialogue with the Damascus government.